Developing learning and strategic competence in preservice teachers’ professional oral English communication using ChatGPT

This article focuses on the research of developing learning and strategic competence in professional oral English communication of pre-service teachers. It investigates the potential of chatbot ChatGPT as a learning tool. It highlights the need for digitalization of the learning process and application of relevant innovative teaching tools. This case study examines and explains the feasibility of this artificial intelligence-powered chatbot implementation foracademic purposes in universities. ChatGPT serves as a conversational agent capable of substituting a teacher or interlocutor in their absence at any given time. The paper analyses ChatGPT’s functionalities and distinctive features, such as the ability to learn, retain, and process significant information, adapt to interactions with individual users. The research describes common user errors and the main advantages of utilising ChatGPT as a learning tool,i.e., it enables the differentiation principles, increases students’ motivation to study, provides an effective feedback, and resembles human communication. However, the most significant drawbacks in its implementation include the lack of proficiency among both students and teachers in using artificial intelligence-powered programmes, predictability of the chatbot’s responses, the decline in novelty effect over time, and ChatGPT’s insufficiently developedprofessional teaching competence. Therefore, practical experimentation with ChatGPT’s functions has resulted in the guidelines for users to word their requests appropriately to achieve intended outcomes. Students are supposed to define their roles, target audience, tasks and solicit feedback. Furthermore, this research suggests the exercises of different types that introduce diverse strategies and teach students to apply them by utilising this innovativelearning tool. The exercises have proven to be effective for developing learning and strategic competence in professional oral English communication of pre-service teachers.